Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close Theme Essay

In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer looks a the 911 terrorist attack from the unique perspective of a nine-year-old boy. The novel follows the journey of Oskar Schell, a boy who lost his dad to the attack. Oskar goes on a quest across New York, looking for someone who may know more about the key he found that belonged to his dad or more about his death. Oskar’s quest is symbolic of both his and surrounding family character’s subconscious ‘quest’, to find closure and understanding through their grief. Each character attempts to communicate their feelings of grief in different, diverse ways. This often results in broken relationships, miscommunication or characters not feeling supported or understood. Foer utilises these character actions, relationships and diverse communication, aided by motifs and syntax to reflect the connection between themes of grief and

Foer uses his character’s communication, actions and relationships, enhanced by motifs and syntax show the reader the diversity of communication amongst characters. Using these connections and themes, Foer then expresses the importance of communication in times of grief in order to overcome and heal. Foer stresses that there is no ‘right or wrong’ way to grief or to communicate grief and that in order to move forward it is important for to understand this and support one another throughout. As shown in the book; the quest and independence to work things out on their own wasn’t what Oskar and the other characters needed. They needed each other. Foer wishes for his readers to learn and grow from his character’s experiences in order to bring relationships closer in times of grief and hardship, as it is then that individuals may grow, heal and move forward